The 11th Circuit United States Court of Appeals last week denied an appeal from the insurance giant. This means that Blue Cross Blue Shield will defend itself against allegations that it engaged in anticompetitive behavior.

BCBS president Scott Serota expressed disappointment at the court’s ruling, but noted that they would continue to work with lawmakers on a bipartisan basis to ensure that all Americans can access the consistent, quality health coverage they need and deserve.

A $125,000 HIPAA fine provides a cautionary tale for physician practices about the need to protect patient privacy. In other news, California’s right-to-die law survives court challenge, U.S. life expectancy drops again as opioid deaths and suicide rates climb and other health-related news.

The campaign to get Medicaid expansion onto the ballot in Utah and the three other states has been led by The Fairness Project, a nonprofit advocacy group that pushed for ballot measures on issues where lawmakers seem out of sync with citizens.

Republican lawmakers and the Trump administration have made a series of moves intended to weaken the health law, such as halting subsidies that covered some consumers’ out-of-pocket costs and eliminating the penalty.

According to Kentucky Governor Mat Bevin, the program would have alleviated an anticipated $300 million shortfall in Medicaid over the next two years by reducing the state's Medicaid population by about 100,000 and saving $2.4 billion

Los Angeles-based Silver Lake Medical Center made headlines this week as they reached an agreement to pay a $550,000 settlement for dumping homeless patients at bus and train stations. Meanwhile in other news, Humana and private equity firms complete takeover of Kindred Healthcare.

Air-ambulance companies have fewer restrictions due to favourable treatment under federal regulations which is in sharp contrast to their counterparts on the ground. This enables them charge huge amounts for their services

Hospitals, physicians, insurers and several other groups including the AMA are taking sides with the Affordable Care Act in its latest legal struggles. They argued that Republican attorneys general lacked standing because they no evidence that their states had suffered harm or injury from the ACA.